Separated
by Cheyennes
Summary: This story was created after seeing the preview for 3X09 specifically the scene where Ressler is chasing Liz through the woods. Who helps Liz when she is at her most vulnerable?
1. Chapter 1

Liz

Liz ran as fast as she could across the wooded expanse. How had this happened? How had she managed to stumble upon her former partner and the other Agents? She remembered how worried Red had been when they had spoken after they were separated. She had thought he was overreacting but clearly that was not the case. Donald wasn't far behind her and the stress of the last months had worn on her body. She wasn't sure she could outrun him but she was certainly going to try. He was repeatedly warning her to stop but she just couldn't. Everything in her urged her to run faster and she followed that inner voice. She leapt over one log and another being careful to zig and zag. While she didn't think Ressler would try to shoot her, she couldn't say the same of the other agents, so she was doing her best to be evasive. She began to hear the sound of running water which her mind interpreted as being a potential escape route. If she could just make it in time. Another gunshot sounded along with another shout to stop. It was quickly followed by several others. She lost track of her footing and zigged when she should have zagged. The sharp pain of a bullet's impact entered through her back and tore painfully out the front causing her to stumble. For a split second she thought of how handy a bullet-proof vest would be right about now. The bullets stopped as she heard Ressler yelling something but she couldn't make out the words. In fact, everything was getting difficult to make out. She took a split second to look behind her to try and get her bearings and the next thing she knew she was falling. Falling quite a distance. She didn't even have time to get scared before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Donald

He almost had her. He was so close this time. He was going to bring her in and he was going to clear her name. The right way. Not by going the path that Reddington had set her upon. He fired another shot over his head trying to get her to stop but it spurred her on. She was running a predictable pattern that he had seen her use in the past. He took a closer shot in hopes of getting her to stop. He was shocked and sickened to see her make a sudden alteration in her footing. There was blood spray as the bullet that should have been nothing more than a distraction actually hit her. She stumbled again as he called her name. She crested a rise, turned slightly in his direction, and then dropped out of sight. He skidded to a halt just seconds before he too would have dropped over the edge. He looked a long way down to see a debris filled creek that was well over it's banks from the recent heavy rains. In fact it looked more like river rapids at this point. He scanned the bank below him and Liz was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. If she wasn't there it meant she had gone into the water. Good swimmer or not, it would be a challenge to survive.

"Get down to the bank and fan out," he ordered the team. Even as he gave the order he realized finding her would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. This was a huge park and the waterway ran almost the whole length. He just hoped she was able to find help before the combination of his accidental bullet and the cold and wet caused her permanent harm. He had never intended to hurt her but he bet that was the same thing both Reddington and Tom Keen told themselves on a daily basis.


	3. Chapter 3

Liz

Liz snapped back to consciousness as her head hit a rock. The brown waters swirled around her and she struggled to make her way to the surface. Once there she took a deep breath spitting out the water that sloshed in her mouth. She couldn't see much due to the debris and speed that she and everything else was moving downstream. Her entire body felt numb from the cold water and her clothing and shoes were weighing her down. They had to go. She tried to keep her head above water as she kicked off her sneakers and then tried to remove the windbreaker that kept billowing around her. Once it was gone she felt a little more in control. There were no apparent signs of pursuit in the surrounding woods. However, there was zero chance of hearing pursuers due to the roar of the waters. On the positive side, no one was shooting at her. On the negative, bullets weren't the only thing that could kill her She realized she was in the middle of the rapidly moving waterway which meant she needed to swim or float her way towards one side or the other. She wasn't sure what time it was but it was clear the sun would be going down soon. Not only would it be colder, she wouldn't be able to see her surroundings. She needed to get out of the water as quickly and safely as possible.

It took an interminable amount of time before she made it far enough to the left to grab onto a branch of a large tree that had fallen partially on the bank and partially into the water. It took everything she had just to hang on. Rocks, branches, leaves, and other things she couldn't identify kept smacking into her and then bouncing off before heading downstream with the current. She struggled to keep the water out of her mouth and pull herself hand over hand down the branches toward the bank. When her feet finally sank into soft sand she felt relief and tears filled her eyes. She looked up just as the light of stars began to twinkle in the darkening sky. A few halting steps later and she collapsed to her knees once she realized her head would be above the waterline. Water dripped off her hair, down her neck, and under the neckline of her button down shirt. Crawling farther onto the bank, she let go of the tree that had saved her life. She rolled onto her back taking a moment to appreciate the ability to breathe without also getting a mouthful of water. But seconds later she began shivering in the wind. She needed to find shelter of some sort until her clothing dried. Pushing herself back to her feet she began to smear the wet sand and obscure the human shaped hole she had made. The smell of blood wafted by and she looked down toward her shoulder wound. Fortunately, there was no pain, but she didn't expect that to last for long. It was time to get moving before moving became a problem.


	4. Chapter 4

Tom

Tom walked through the woods with a heavy pack on his back and a GPS receiver in his hand. He had one mission to accomplish and that was to find Liz. Shocked was the best word to describe his reaction to when he received the phone call earlier in the day from Reddington asking for his help. Maybe asking was the wrong word. He was basically told to find Liz and the "or else" was implied. Not that he needed a threat hanging over his head. He loved her. Tom Keen was the man he wanted to be and Elizabeth Keen was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wished he could turn back the hands of time and still be having all of those little "married life" moments with her. But more than anything he wanted a life based on truth rather than lies but he still wanted it to be with her.

The blip on the GPS receiver slowed down and then stopped. He was still almost 20 miles away and there was a lot of hard terrain between him and that blip. Normally he would be appalled that Red had sewn GPS tags into Liz's clothes, but in this particular case, he was more than grateful that the bastard was so paranoid. He didn't care how hard the hike, he wasn't going to stop until he found her. In the short period of time he had been given to prepare, he had assembled his pack with everything they would need. Food, clothes, temporary shelter, first aid supplies, and a secure phone to call Reddington once she was located.

He and Reddington had already mapped out several possible extraction sites within the park. They just needed to stay ahead of the FBI agents who were still combing the woods. While he could hear a helicopter running a search pattern in the distance, it wouldn't be much help thanks to the heavy canopy of the mature trees.

He watched as the blip on the GPS monitor began moving again albeit at a much slower pace. She was clearly on foot at this point and he began walking briskly in that direction hoping to reach her by daylight.


	5. Chapter 5

Raymond

He had received confirmation that Tom/Jacob was on the ground and headed in Liz's direction. He was worried but was working the problem one level at a time. The most important had been to get help headed in her direction. Now that he had accomplished that task the next was to stop her pursuers from hunting her. He pulled out the burner phone and placed a call to the one man who could call off the hunt. The click of an open line greeted him an instant later,

"Donald, you need to stop whatever you're doing."

He was interrupted before he could get any further,

"You know exactly what I'm doing Reddington. I'm going to find Liz and end this mess that you've gotten her into. She needs help from someone other than you."

"I'm happy to hear that you want to help her but what you're doing isn't."

"I didn't shoot her on purpose. I was just trying to get her to stop running and she changed her direction at the last minute."

Raymond's blood pressure jumped about 100 points. He wanted to ask how badly she was injured but doing so would give away the fact that he didn't know. When dealing with the FBI he had learned it was best to appear omniscient and two moves ahead of everyone else.

"Regardless of how it happened, your pursuit of her needs to end. I have another task that will require your undivided attention. Leave behind a team, if you feel you need to, but we both know that Lizzie will be back with me before you can get her."

There was a long pause and he could almost hear the wheels in Agent Ressler's head turning. Guilt over shooting Liz was in the forefront of his mind. He didn't want to hunt her like a wounded animal and it was unlikely they would find her anyway. This would give him a reasonable out in order to stop his pursuit.

"Tell me more about this task."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. Thanks for the reviews. The first ten chapters practically wrote themselves. Hoping that continues to the end.

Liz

The numbness had faded about two miles back. She could feel the blood slowly easing down her arm and dripping off the tips of her fingers. It felt so warm. She had torn a strip off the bottom of her shirt and tried to bind the wound but that was less than successful. The location was terrible. It was a pulsing mass of pain. Fortunately her shivers had finally stopped thanks to the exertion of the hike. She no longer had the spasmodic movements making the pain worse. In fact, she was feeling downright warm at the moment. She had decided to head to the highest point she could reach to see if she could get a better view of her escape options. Based on her current pace she figured she was about two hours away from the peak.

The time passed swiftly as she let her mind drift. It was so much louder here than she had expected. The sounds of wildlife were everywhere and the leaves were rustling as the wind blew through the trees. She thought about her life to this point. At the moment it seemed there were more bad things than good. Plus there were some things she couldn't categorize. Was meeting Red good or bad? They'd done some good things together but, before his arrival in her life, she had been living the dream. Unfortunately it really had only been a dream. Was meeting Tom/Jacob good or bad? She had loved being married to the Tom persona. The problem was she wasn't sure how much of Tom was the real Jacob and how much was a fantasy concocted just for her.

She tripped over a tree root and realized that was the third time she had fallen in a short time. The events of yesterday were catching up with her and she needed a place to rest for a little while. Nausea was beginning to nag at her and she was wishing for a stick of peppermint gum. She smiled a little at the thought of stumbling on a convenience store out here in the wilderness. She probably would be better off looking for wild peppermint in the woods but wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that and poison ivy. Better to just abstain. Some fresh water would be good too but also not likely to happen until she made her way out of this mess.

She had no doubt in her mind that Red would be looking for her. No way would he leave her on her own. She just needed to keep going until either he found her or she found a way to contact him. Hopefully he would have both gum and water with him. He was definitely a man who enjoyed the comforts of life.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of some brush that had grown in a cave-like shape. It was a small and dirty space which for her purposes was perfect. It blended into the environment well and was thick enough to protect her from being seen from above. It would serve as shelter from the worst of the wind but probably wouldn't do much in terms of warmth. But beggars couldn't be choosers. She crawled inside and laid on her uninjured side using her arm as a cushion for her head. It wasn't comfortable but the nausea was abating now that she had stopped moving. An hour or two of rest would go a long way towards helping her regain her strength.


	7. Chapter 7

Tom

It had been a few hours since he had started the trek and he was making good time. Needless to say, he had been thrilled when the GPS monitor indicated that Liz was headed toward his direction rather than away. It would shorten the time it would take to meet up with her. He was so lost in the thought of seeing her again that he almost missed the vibration of the sat phone in his pack. He unfastened the bag from his waist and placed it on the ground to dig in the pocket.

"Go," he said into it.

"Lizzie has been shot. It was an accident and I'm not sure of the severity. From what I could gather from Agent Ressler, a bullet struck her in the back and she fell into the creek that runs through the area. Due to the recent rains it was quick moving and pulled her away from her pursuers."

"I'm headed in her direction and she is headed in mine. She isn't moving fast but up until a short time ago she was moving steadily. I think she may have bedded down for the night. Based on my current pace I should be on her in two hours."

"Keep me apprised."

The phone call ended abruptly but Tom didn't care. His focus was solely on getting to Liz especially now that he knew she was wounded. She had never been shot before but he was something of an expert. The first aid kit he brought wasn't geared towards a serious wound but he should be able to patch her up enough to make it to whatever medical help Reddington could provide. The man had contacts just about everywhere.


	8. Chapter 8

Liz

She was miserable. One minute she was hot and the next she was freezing. She had drifted in and out of sleep and felt even more irritated than she had before. She definitely wasn't rested and the nausea that had abated briefly was back full force. Every movement caused her stiff clothing to abrade her skin. God only knew what had dried into her clothes. Her feet hurt from the blisters and minor cuts she had accumulated during her barefooted hike. In fact, no part of her felt unscathed, but nothing hurt quite like the pain that was pulsing in her back and shooting down her arm.

She was so focused on her current state that she didn't hear anything until the brush rustled around her.

"Liz?"

She had to process the voice for a moment before she realized she recognized it. It wasn't the voice she had expected to hear but it was welcome none the less. She opened her eyes.

"Tom," she whispered wondering if it was her imagination.

Seconds later Tom's head peeked into her space taking in her surroundings with a smirk,

"Nice place. Could use some work though. Interested in an upgrade?"

She knew her smile was just a ghost of his and she didn't bother to respond. He lowered his head and crawled slowly into her tiny space. This time his expression was much more serious. He brushed her stiff hair back behind her ear,

"Let's see what we can do for you. I hear you've been shot, huh?"

She nodded her head slightly and the world swam around her in streams of color. She closed her eyes but still felt as if she was moving and couldn't wait for the sensation to stop. She swallowed convulsively and even with her eyes closed she could feel Tom's gaze like a caress as he took in her condition. She knew she probably looked worse than he had ever seen her and that was saying something. Marriage was pretty much a guarantee that you wouldn't always see each other at your best.


	9. Chapter 9

Tom and Liz

He had found her which was a plus but she was much worse off than he had expected. She looked like a dirty drowned rat. Every bit of her exposed skin had tiny cuts and the entire left side of her shirt was crusted with dried blood. Her cheeks were both dark pink in skin as white as cotton. There were beads of sweat on her forehead and above her upper lip. When he brushed her hair behind her ear, he had felt the heat coming off her skin. She looked miserable and he knew she had to be feeling that way. His goal was to triage the injuries she had, treat those that he could, and get her out of here. She needed to be resting in a real bed with true medical professionals taking care of her. He brushed his thumb across her lips.

"Give me a few minutes. I'm going to set up a larger camouflage tent and move you over to it. Once that's done I'll see what I can do to make you more comfortable."

Liz made a sound of agreement and watched as he left. Comfortable sounded good to her. She listened to the sounds of him moving around and drifted from one thought to the next. She shivered a few times and couldn't prevent the moan that slipped out.

Tom had been paying close attention and paused briefly as he heard the soft sound. He finished laying out the medical supplies he had brought next to the large sleeping bag he had rolled out for her. Before he knew she had been injured he had fantasized that he would swoop in, rescue her, and they would share the sleeping bag for a long overdue reunion. Obviously it was only a fantasy but it was a good one. He set it aside to deal with reality.

He returned to her hiding space and noticed the shivers and the way she was holding her arm to try and still the involuntary movements.

"Okay, your castle awaits. Can you roll onto your back? I don't want to hurt you anymore than necessary."

Sounded good to her too. She gingerly moved onto her back as requested. He knelt next to her and helped her to a seated position being careful to keep his hand away from the entry wound on her back. She swayed back and forth and he knew she wouldn't make it to her feet on her own. He couldn't cradle her in front of him without hurting her. Keeping his hand on her back he repositioned himself and knelt in front of her.

"Put your arms around my neck."

Once she complied he slid his hands under her bottom and stood. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him resting her head on his shoulder. He moved smoothly and quickly to the much larger tent. There was soft lighting from a small battery operated lantern that allowed her to see the inside. Compared to where she had been this really was a castle.

He knelt on the ground and settled her into a reclined position on the sleeping bag allowing his pack to support her back. Reaching behind him he grabbed for the open bottle of water and held it to her lips. She took several slow sips before pulling away.

"Better?"

She nodded slightly and licked the moisture off her lips. With some of the remaining water he wet a cloth and began wiping down her face and neck. She closed her eyes and leaned into his ministrations as he removed blood and some of the muck from her trip in the river. While she was relaxed and mentally floating he used his left hand to unbutton her shirt and watched as the right side fell away from her body. The left side was clearly stuck to her skin.

When he was packing his bag he had grabbed some morphine and a couple syringes just in case she had badly twisted an ankle or knee on the terrain. He'd never expected that he would be using it to treat a bullet wound. He took a moment to get the items he needed and Liz watched him with suspicion in her eyes as he drew up a hefty dose. The absolute trust she used to have in him was gone but he knew she trusted him to a certain extent.

"I swear it's something for the pain. I can tell you're hurting."

She didn't move as he swabbed the curve of her arm with disinfectant and inserted the needle. However, she did flinch at the burning sensation as the medicine began to run through her veins. Her pupils dilated in the light of the small lantern and he knew it was taking quick effect. As her eyes drifted shut he carefully poured water on her shirt to loosen the left side. Gingerly pulling it away from her skin he leaned her up more to do the same thing to the back. Before long the shirt was removed and she sat there in her bra. Her torso had escaped the worst of the smaller cuts but the gaping red wound on her back looked bad. The exit wound on her chest was even worse. The combination of the fabric of her shirt and the dirty water entering the wound had resulted in a raging infection. The skin around both wounds was swollen and a yellow, foul smelling drainage leaked from the front. He had no choice but to clean it as best he could and bandage it. He had expected to stitch it but that made no sense until the infection had been cleared. He mentally kicked himself for not packing antibiotics but he could never have envisioned such a need.

He waited until her eyes were closed and he could tell she was drifting. Laying her back down on her right side gave him clear access to both the entrance and exit wounds. Rather than cause her to tense in fear he opted not to tell her what he was doing. Instead, he leaned over her to keep her on the ground, quickly uncapped the antiseptic, and poured it over both wounds. Tears blurred his vision as she cried out and began to struggle and gasp for air. He could only imagine the pain. Tears streamed down her face in the dim light and she began to shiver uncontrollably which only made her pain worse. He quickly wiped the areas with the sterile gauze feeling like the scum of the earth.

"No more, no more," she gasped at him through her chattering teeth.

"No more," he assured her as he began to tape some sterile gauze sponges gently over the wounds.

Tears continued to track down her face as the intense pain began to ebb. Once the wounds were covered he began to gently stroke her hair. The combination of the morphine and the soothing motions caused her eyes to flutter shut. He placed the dirty gauze in a bag and then stepped over her prone body which continued to shiver in reaction. Lowering himself behind her, he pulled the top of the sleeping bag over them both and spooned her.

Liz felt the warmth of Tom's body behind her. Even though she knew they were no longer married, and that he wasn't the person she'd originally thought, she allowed herself to relax into him. His warmth lessened the shivers and for the first time in quite a while she felt safe. Even though Red had kept her safe from harm she had always felt hunted. In this moment she felt like no harm could come to her and allowed herself to drift into a sound sleep.

Tom watched over her for hours until the sun rose enough to lighten the interior of the tent. Even though her fever hadn't broken she was no longer burning as she had been before. He carefully untangled his limbs from hers and retrieved two fresh gauze sponges. He removed the bloody ones with the lightest of touches and looked at the wounds. The swelling was down quite a bit and the drainage was improved. She would ultimately need antibiotics but for the time being he would just keep the wounds clean. He poured the tiniest bit of antiseptic on the new gauze sponges and taped them back in place before covering her again with the sleeping bag. Grabbing the sat phone he stepped outside and made the call to get Liz the help she needed.


	10. Chapter 10

Reddington

The sound of the sat phone ringing was the sound he had waited for all night.

"You found her?"

"Yes, she's sleeping right now but I'll wake her in an hour or so and head to the primary extraction point. It'll take us quite a while to get there so extraction shouldn't been organized until 1800."

The time the man quoted was almost six hours longer than Reddington had expected.

"How is she?"

There was a sigh before Tom rattled off her injuries.

"She's been shot, as you know, and it was a through and through. However, it is badly infected. I've cleaned it the best I can and medicated her for the pain. It is going to need a professional cleaning under anesthesia and will need a permanent closure. The best I can do is keep it clean and the bleeding under control. Her other injuries are an assortment of cuts and bruises on every inch of exposed skin and I would assume some unexposed skin as well. I'm not sure how much walking she can do."

"Can you get her to the extraction point?"

"I'll get her there. Are we still being pursued?"

"I'm sure there is a team out there somewhere but Agent Ressler took the majority of his Agents with him to work on another task. I don't believe you'll have any difficulty reaching your target."

"I'll call you if we are running behind but otherwise assume we will be there at 1800."

There was a lengthy pause before Reddington replied,

"Her life is your life. Make sure no further harm comes to her."

The call terminated. Tom looked at the receiver and shook his head. He and Reddington might be on the same side but it was far from a stable alliance.


	11. Chapter 11

Liz

She woke slowly to the feel someone stroking her cheek. She stretched for about 30 seconds before pain shot through her whole body. She clenched her eyes and her teeth at the sensation. She thought she had hurt before. Yesterday was nothing compared to this pain. Even breathing caused rippling pain that made her hold her breath.

"Holding your breath is going to make it hurt worse. Take slow shallow breaths instead."

She opened her eyes to a blurry figure next to her. She blinked several times to bring him into focus.

"We're getting out of here today. Reddington is sending extraction for us. All we need to do is get there."

"How far," she rasped.

"We have about 12 hours to make six miles."

She closed her eyes again. Normally that would be more than enough time to cover such a distance but she felt like it would take 12 hours for her to make six blocks let alone six miles. But she needed to do it, so she would. Lately that had been her mantra.

"Okay," she said opening her eyes, "Let's get me vertical."

"Before we do that I want to give you some pain medication now and then we are going to do that every four hours until we are out of here."

Pain medication sounded good to her. In fact it sounded really good. She watched as Tom drew up another dose of medication, swabbed some skin, and pushed the medication into her system. It burned the same as before and quickly gave her a warm feeling. Right up until Tom pulled the top of the sleeping bag away and the cold air hit her. Her teeth started to chatter. When he started to pull her up the chattering stopped as the fires of hell consumed her and sweat began to bead up all over her body. This was a nightmare! Once she was up in a seated position the teeth chattering started all over again.

"Hang tight. You're still running a fever which is why you're so cold. I made a sling for this arm to take some pressure off your wound and then I have a quilted flannel shirt for you."

Tom worked deftly to secure the sling in place while making sure no part of it rubbed at the dressings on the wound. He watched as color slowly returned to Liz's face. Grabbing the warm flannel shirt he helped her get the good arm in and then proceeded to button it down the front to keep it in place.

"Help me up. . . . .please."

Between the two of them they got her to her feet. With Tom's help she took some unsteady steps which slowly got steadier. He clearly noticed the change as he backed away while she walked in small circles.

"Looks good. Why don't you take a few minutes to yourself while I get us packed up."

She nodded and proceeded to find a place to relieve herself. Plenty of fun with only one hand but she managed without either vomiting or passing out from the pain.

By the time she made it back Tom was completely packed up and was clearly just waiting for her. Obviously it had taken a lot longer than she thought to complete the simple task.


	12. Chapter 12

Tom

He watched as Liz emerged from the woods. She looked up at him briefly but then returned her gaze to the ground. He could see how careful she was being with her footing and he was less than pleased with her color. But he had done what he could for her and the rest was up to her. She came to a stop before looking at him again.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Just about. Do you think you can stomach some water and some saltines with peanut butter?"

Liz took stock of her stomach and didn't feel as nauseated now that the pain had become more bearable.

"I think so."

Tom stood and handed her a small sandwich he had made by spreading peanut butter between two saltines. He hoped the protein in the peanut butter would nourish her while the saltines would keep her stomach steady. Plus it would have the added benefit of assuring she drank more water. She completed the first sandwich, drank half a bottle of water, and ate a second sandwich before finishing the bottle. He started handing her a third but wasn't surprised when she shook her head.

"Okay, now that you finished that gourmet breakfast, are you ready to get this show on the road?"

"Ready might be too strong a word but I can do a lot for a bed and lots and lots of blankets."

"You'll get that and more. We just need to make it to the extraction point. I've built in plenty of time for rest breaks so don't push yourself so hard that you exhaust yourself or fall, okay?"

"Okay."

Tom started out in the lead and she returned her gaze to the ground as she began to follow. He listened to her footsteps as they began to cover ground. They started out strong, better than he had hoped actually, but about three hours later they started to slow. He stopped and turned around to watch her as he had been doing sporadically since they had started. He could tell her total concentration was on putting one foot in front of the other. There was no other thought in her head besides making it to the rendezvous point. When she came even with him he touched her chin to tip up her face and said their first words since starting out,

"Shall we take a break?"

"No, I'm afraid if we stop I won't make it. Let's keep going."

He took in her pale skin and that look of determination which had the ability to make grown men quake in their boots. She could be stubborn.

"Okay, another hour and then we'll make a brief stop for water and some more pain medication for you. If you can keep going we'll do a brief stop every four hours."


	13. Chapter 13

Liz

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. It was the internal chant that had gotten her through more than eight hours of travel. They had stopped two times in order to have water and give her the pain medication that was waning even now. The last time they had also changed the blood soaked bandages on her wound which had been a less than pleasant experience.

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of. . . . She stopped as the sweat dripping from her chin mixed with the tears that had started streaming down her face about 15 minutes before. She was so tired. She didn't think she had ever been so tired in her life. Even when she and Red had been constantly on the move, she had been surrounded by as much luxury as circumstances could possibly allow.

She didn't even realize Tom had stopped until his arms wrapped around her and pulled her head under his chin. She couldn't help but close her eyes and lean into his strength. She heard his voice and knew he was whispering encouragement and reassurances but she was so tired. Too tired. Her mouth was too dry to even tell him she was at the end of her strength. But she was done.


	14. Chapter 14

Tom

She had been leaning against him and then her entire body went boneless. Only his arms around her waist kept her upright. He had thought she was at her end during their last stop but, once the morphine had taken effect, she had insisted she could keep going. She had almost made it. Now it was up to him to get her the rest of the way.

He lowered her to the ground as carefully as possible. She was pale, cold, and clammy. None of the above was a good sign. He opened her shirt and noted the fresh blood that had soaked into the sling. The bandages were clearly soaked through. She needed more help than he could provide. He brushed back the hair on her forehead and pressed his lips there.

"You did good, Liz. You did good. I'll get us the rest of the way."

It wasn't easy but he managed to get her up and over his shoulders in a classic fireman's carry. He would have preferred to cradle her in his arms but he needed his gun hand free just in case they ran into trouble. He started a steady ground eating stride that was propelled by adrenaline and worry. She needed help now. He needed to make sure they didn't miss their extraction window because, if they had to wait another night, he feared she wouldn't make it.

He arrived at the extraction site an hour in advance. He was covered in sweat and was worried because Liz had never roused. But at least he had felt her chest rising and falling against his back so he knew she was alive. He gently lowered her under the cover of some trees and reached back to the pack to retrieve the sleeping bag. Opening it next to her he slowly rolled her onto it. The quilted shirt was also soaked through with blood due to the awkward position she had been in. He unbuttoned it, removed it, and untied the sling. Quickly he covered her in the sleeping bag as he pulled out more antiseptic, the vial of morphine, and new gauze sponges. He removed the old gauze and poured antiseptic on the front and back to no response. The entrance and exit wounds were carefully inspected in the dimming light. Red tendrils could be seen under her skin and her breathing was rapid and shallow. His heart seized as he realized she had blood poisoning. His hands fumbled with the pack as he removed the sat phone and dialed the man on the other end.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2016!

Raymond

The ringing of the phone caught his attention amidst the noise of their departure. The line opened with the sound of Tom's voice which verged on frantic,

"Tell me you have a doctor coming."

"Of course I have a doctor. Why?"

"Liz has blood poisoning from the wound. The tendrils are visible under her skin. She is clammy, cold, non-responsive and she's breathing fast. Too fast. I have no way to check her blood pressure but I'm pretty sure she is hypotensive."

"Will you make the extraction point?"

"We're already here."

Red tapped the shoulder of the pilot indicating they should get in the air now. Over the whirling of the blades he heard Tom finishing,

"She pushed through until about two hours ago when she collapsed. I carried her the rest of the way."

"We'll be there in twenty to thirty minutes. The helicopter will draw the attention of any law enforcement on the ground so you have to have her ready to move. We need to load hot."

"Understood. We'll be ready."


	16. Chapter 16

Tom

He quickly recovered the wound and zipped Liz tightly into the sleeping bag. Kneeling next to her he stroked her face.

"Hang in there baby. I can't risk giving you anymore pain medication but help is on the way. Red will kill me if something happens to you so you need to stay with me."

Her lashes fluttered but her eyes never opened. The sound of the helicopter in the distance was one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard. He scooped her up in front of him, sleeping bag and all. No need for a fireman's carry now. Once he visually confirmed the helicopter was the one he had expected, he turned his back and bent over her face to protect her from the worst of the wind and debris. He turned and ran towards the help it contained the second it landed. Reddington was leaning out and took Liz from his arms before he jumped in and they took off as he and Red laid her on the stretcher that was set out. He was reassured to see that the doctor appeared to have come fully stocked. The sleeping bag was unzipped and monitor leads were being placed on her chest. The monitor showed her heart rate was too slow so the doctor moved quickly to place an IV and began manually pushing a bag of fluid into her system. Her heart rate slowly began to climb. Red put an oxygen mask over her face making sure none of the wires were kinked so that she could get a good flow. The doctor hung the remaining fluid on the small IV pole while starting an IV in Liz's other arm. He hooked a unit of blood as well as another bag onto the second pole.

"What's in the bag?" he yelled over the noise of the helicopter.

"High dose antibiotics," was the muffled response of the doctor as he began removing the dressing Tom had placed on the wound.

Rolling Liz to her side he did the same with the entry wound. Both were bleeding freely and the doctor sprinkled some powder that Tom recognized as a clotting agent on both. A blood pressure cuff was placed and her pressure was 60/40 which he and Red both recognized as being much too low.

"Tell me about her condition over the last few hours."

"She's been feverish alternating between freezing and burning up. She has had significant pain and she's been both tired and restless. The bleeding wasn't as bad initially but the more we walked, and the more often she tripped, the more freely the wounds began bleeding. She was willing to drink some water and she ate some saltines and peanut butter early this morning. She relieved herself once early this morning but didn't feel the need since. She's also been having waves of nausea off and on."

The information was absorbed by the doctor as he continued fussing with Liz's IV's and adding medications. A short time later the helicopter landed near a hanger where an ambulance was waiting. In a well coordinated effort Liz was rapidly moved to into it and both he and Reddington joined the doctor in the back.


	17. Chapter 17

Raymond

He was worried but making damn sure not to show it. He almost hadn't recognized Lizzie when he had taken her from Tom. There was absolutely no color in her face and she had been cold to the touch. It had only been a couple days since he had seen her but it seemed much longer. Even at their last contact she had been pale from the ongoing stress but this was a whole different level.

When the doctor had opened the sleeping bag he had his first chance to see the wound and it was a bad one. How the hell Donald could have done such a thing still boggled the mind. He would definitely be having words with the young man very soon. He needed to take what he had done to her seriously because he was certain Liz was taking it very seriously. This was probably the final straw in the close relationship they had once shared. She would likely never trust Donald again and that would be hard both on her and on him.

Glancing over he could see how worried Tom was and could only imagine what it had been like over the last day. Caring for her and trying to bully her to the extraction point. Trying to help her rally her strength. They both knew there was no way Tom could have carried her the entire distance even if he had wanted to do so. Fortunately, Lizzie could be stubborn, and if she set her mind on a task, she did it until she couldn't. Apparently that was the case here. Her mind hadn't given out but her body had.

The wound was continuing to seep both blood and infectious fluid. The tracings under her pale skin showed the path of infection. Her blood pressure was much too low and her respirations were much too fast. He had been happy to see her respond to some of the doctor's interventions but she had a long way to go. Fortunately, when she awoke he would be able to tell her that he had the last piece of intel to clear her name.


End file.
